This invention relates generally to bingo games, and more particularly to a bingo game that utilizes colored numbers, numbers with indicia, and other features designed to increase the attractiveness and excitement of the game to the players.
Conventional bingo is a well known game. Players are provided with bingo cards that have a matrix of five rows and five columns. The columns are lettered B I N G O from left to right across the top of the matrix and each bingo card has five numbers in each row except the center N column which has a xe2x80x9cfree spacexe2x80x9d at the intersection of the third row and the third column.
Bingo balls individually numbered 1-75 are mixed together and balls are selected one at a time. As each ball is selected, the number is announced to the players, who cover any corresponding number on their bingo card. When a player achieves a predetermined arrangement of covered spots on his bingo card, that player yells out xe2x80x9cBingo!xe2x80x9d and he wins the game.
In the conventional manner of play of bingo, in order to win the game, a player must cover five spaces in a vertical column, a horizontal row or along one of the two diagonals of the bingo card. The free space in the center of the bingo card allows a player to win with as few as four numbers being drawn. Other winning combinations include the four corners of the bingo card and the eight numbers immediately adjacent and surrounding the free space. Winning combinations can also include the covering of spots on the bingo card so that letter symbols are formed such as an X, U, L, H or T.
The operator of the bingo game will designate at the beginning of the game which particular combination or combinations of covered spots will be winning combinations for that particular game. It is also popular to play xe2x80x9ccoverallxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cblackoutxe2x80x9d games in which all of the spots on the bingo card must be covered (the twenty-four spots having numbers and the center free space) in order for the player to win.
Bingo can be played as an amusement game, but it is quite popular as a form of gambling. Players purchase bingo cards for use during the bingo session and winning players receive payouts from the operator or gaming establishment. Typically, a bingo session includes a number of individual bingo games concluding with a coverall game in which a large prize is awarded. Some operators also offer a jackpot prize if the coverall is achieved within a fixed number of called numbers, e.g. 50.
It is also known to add an extra colored bingo ball to the seventy-five numbered balls. The colored ball acts as a wild card or wild number and, if this colored ball is drawn, a player may cover any number he chooses on the bingo card.
Several variations are played of the standard bingo that uses seventy-five numbers and a five-by-five matrix bingo card. One variation is a 3-by-3 matrix bingo card with or without a free space. Another variation is known as Lightning Bingo or Speed Bingo, and is quite popular in Indian reservations. In Lightning or Speed Bingo, there is a pool of thirty numbers, e.g. balls numbered 1-30 without letter designations. Each player has a bingo card with only three numbers thereon, generally set out in a horizontal pattern. In Lightning Bingo, the caller draws numbers sequentially from the pool of thirty numbers and a player wins when he achieves all three numbers called on his bingo card.
Still another variation is known as English Bingo and is generally played in England and other parts of Europe as well as on other continents. In English Bingo, there is a pool of ninety numbers, e.g. balls numbered 1-90 without letter designations. Each player has a bingo card with multiple horizontal rows, each row having five numbers therein with the rest of the row comprising one or more blank (free) spaces. In English Bingo, the caller draws numbers sequentially from the pool of ninety numbers and a player wins when he achieves all five numbers called on a single row of his bingo card.
In relative terms, bingo as it is currently conducted in gaming casinos is a low payout game. During each bingo game, numbers are drawn until a player wins, so the gaming establishment is limited in the amount of money it can award as prizes. During a regular bingo game in which the winning bingo combination is simply five covered spots in a row vertically, diagonally or horizontally, a winning player can expect to receive a $500.00 payout. The jackpot coverall game at the end of a session may pay out $1,000.00 to the winning player. If a typical bingo session has ten regular games and a single jackpot coverall game, the gaming establishment has guaranteed to pay out $6,000.00 to the players.
The revenue to the gaming establishment is based on the number of bingo cards that are bought by the players. Since the prize fund is guaranteed at a fixed amount, the more bingo cards a gaming establishment can sell, the better the profit will be.
With few exceptions, conventional bingo has remained relatively unchanged for many years. As legalized gaming expands into more and more jurisdictions and as Indian gaming becomes more widespread, there is a need to increase the attractiveness of bingo in order to interest more players to participate in the game.
One example of an attempt to make bingo more exciting has been the payout of larger jackpot payouts for coveralls achieved in a predetermined number of selected numbers. It takes at least twenty-four drawn numbers to achieve a coverall and typically most bingo operators select a number between fifty and fifty-five as the number of balls in which the coverall is achieved in order for the player to win the large jackpot, say $5,000.00. If a coverall is not achieved within this preset number requirement, then the payout reverts to the smaller jackpot amount, say $1,000.00, for the player who achieves the coverall.
Electronic bingo represents another improvement. With the advent of electronic bingo, players are able to play virtually an unlimited number of bingo cards, thus increasing their chances of hitting a bingo. With all the positive aspects of electronic bingo, it is still limited in the size and amount of the payouts that can be made since there is a cap on the total of bingo ball numbers (seventy-five) available to be chosen and a limited number of locations to hit these numbers (24 spaces). These limitations along with the free space greatly affect the amount of the jackpot prize that can currently be awarded.
Another example is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,786, issued to the applicant herein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,786 is directed to a bingo game in which the bingo numbers are color-coded. In the preferred embodiment, the seventy-five bingo ball numbers are divided into four or more groups of colored spaces, with a player having the ability to achieve a higher payout by achieving a bingo based all on one colorxe2x80x94and the highest payout by achieving a single color bingo where the color achieved is that represented by the fewest number of bingo balls. Other variations are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,786.
While U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,786 represents a significant improvement to the basic game of bingo, there is room for further improvement. For example, experience has shown that four color bingo as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,786 can trigger jackpots too quickly, with the result that the jackpot does not have the chance to build to a level that generates high levels of player enthusiasm.
Thus, even despite recent improvements, there is a need to further increase the player appeal of bingo in order to generate increased revenues from the operation of the game. Increased player participation would allow the payment of higher payouts which in turn would generate more player participation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of playing bingo and an improved bingo game that will increase the player participation in the game.
It is a further object of the present invention to increase the popularity of bingo by increasing the difficulty factor of getting a jackpot, to allow for prizes high enough to attract gamblers away from other types of gaming such as video poker, slot machines and live table games, and to compete with lotteries.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a bingo game and method in which the bingo numbers/balls are divided into at least five color groups, with specific ranges allotted to each group of colors.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a bingo game and method in which the number of numbers/balls assigned to a color group can be increased during the game, to increase player excitement and make a jackpot more easy to obtain.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bingo game and method in which the free space can be assigned to one or more of the color groups, to make a jackpot harder or easier to obtain, as desired.
It is still a further object of the present invention to assign indicia in attention to or in lieu of coloring to some or all of the numbers/balls, to provide more types of bingos and more jackpot possibilities and to otherwise increase player excitement and interest.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method of playing a game of bingo is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: a) providing a player with a bingo card having a plurality of numbered spaces used in the play of a bingo game; b) providing a plurality of bingo balls each having individual numbers corresponding to the numbered spaces on the bingo card; c) providing an electronic number reader board having a plurality of numbered spaces corresponding to the number of bingo balls used in the bingo game; d) initiating the bingo game; e) randomly designating between one and seventy-one of the numbered spaces on the bingo board with a first designated marking; f) randomly designating between one and seventy-one of the numbered spaces on the bingo board with a second designated marking; g) randomly designating between one and seventy-one of the numbered spaces on the bingo board with a third designated marking; h) randomly designating between one and seventy-one of the numbered spaces on the bingo board with a fourth designated marking; i) randomly designating between one and seventy-one of the numbered spaces on the bingo board with at least a fifth designated marking; k) randomly selecting consecutive bingo balls; l) if the player achieves a predetermined winning combination on the bingo card of selected numbers having only the first designated marking, awarding the player a first amount; m) if the player achieves a predetermined winning combination on the bingo card of selected numbers having only the second designated marking, awarding the player a second amount; n) if the player achieves a predetermined winning combination on the bingo card of selected numbers having only the third designated marking, awarding the player a third amount; o) if the player achieves a predetermined winning combination on the bingo card of selected numbers having only the fourth designated marking, awarding the player a fourth amount; and p) if the player achieves a predetermined winning combination on the bingo card of selected numbers having only the fifth designated marking, awarding the player a fifth amount.